In Wimbledon Lottery, Lucky Losers Win a Second Chance

By Ben Rothenberg

June 23, 2014

WIMBLEDON, England — Luck in tennis is most commonly associated with balls that hit the net cord and dribble over, or shots that hit the racket frame and land square on the line. But there is no luck in tennis quite as important as the luck of the draw.

Four spots were open in the Wimbledon men’s singles draw to replace players who withdrew after the qualifying tournament began last week. At the Bank of England Club in Roehampton on Thursday, the six highest seeds who lost in the final round of qualifying were numbered one through six, and were pulled in a modest draw ceremony to determine the order in which they would enter the draw as so-called lucky losers.

The first number called was three, Frank Dancevic of Canada. He had decided to attend the proceedings, and looked skyward, shouting, “Come on, man! Come on!” when his name was called.

As he prepared for his first-round main draw match Tuesday against Ivo Karlovic, Dancevic reflected on winning this lottery.

“You get a second breath,” said Dancevic, who has been a lucky loser twice before at a Grand Slam tournament.

Aside from the opportunity to remain in contention, the lottery win also means significant cash: a loser in the final round of qualifying receives 13,500 pounds ($22,987), while a first-round appearance in the main draw pays 27,000 pounds ($45,974) and provides the opportunity to earn more by advancing further.

The next number picked was No. 6, Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia. Malek Jaziri of Tunisia, the No. 2 seed, heard his number next. The only other player to attend the draw, Jaziri screamed and embraced Dancevic. They then took their celebrations outside to the grass for more hugging and woo-hooing.

The fourth and final lucky loser selected was Simone Bolelli of Italy, seeded fourth in the pot. No. 5 Daniel Brands was then picked fifth, to be the first alternate if another player were to withdraw.

The unluckiest loser was the No. 1 seed in the draw, Tim Smyczek, an American who was the highest-ranked at 106th.

At ATP and WTA events, the highest-ranked player to lose in the final round of qualifying is given the first lucky loser spot automatically, the second-highest ranked player the second lucky loser spot, and so on. But at Grand Slam events, a random draw is held.

Smyczek was even more unlucky because Tommy Haas withdrew from Wimbledon hours after qualifying began. Haas had known he was not playing for days because he had scheduled surgery on his right shoulder. Had Haas withdrawn before qualifying began, Smyczek would have entered the main draw directly. Instead, the spot was left open for a lucky loser.

“Obviously, it’s a bummer to get picked sixth,” Smyczek said in an email. “Especially when I was one out of the main draw before qualies started and there was one more withdrawal only a few hours after I walked on court. I actually got picked dead last last year here at Wimbledon as well.”

By the time qualifying ended, Nicolás Almagro, Ivan Dodig and Albert Montañés had withdrawn as well. All four, Haas included, had retired from his first-round match at the French Open during the first set, and would have known Wimbledon participation was in doubt.

“I really can’t be too bitter about it,” Smyczek said. “What it all comes down to is that I didn’t play well enough to make my way into the main draw. I understand why the rule is in place. I think it’s a shame we need to have it, but I get it.”

The lottery was introduced in 2006, inspired by events at Wimbledon the year before. Justin Gimelstob, who is now on the ATP board of directors, was the top seed in qualifying and retired from his final-round match after one game with a back injury, knowing he was guaranteed a spot in the main draw even if he lost.

Gimelstob, who had spoken with officials before deciding to play that match, said he accepted the concept of the lottery, but believed the current system could be improved.

“I do believe that the higher-ranked player deserves a higher probability of getting in,” he said. “I believe it should be weighted, or grouped in some different way. But I also understand the desire for no corruption, or possibilities to manipulate the system.”

Rajeev Ram, an American who also lost in the final round of qualifying, also said he disliked the rule.

“I just feel like the fact that they take it at random devalues the idea that someone has actually earned a ranking,” he said. “We earn that. A guy gets into a tournament because he’s one spot higher than another guy, and that’s how we’ve come to play the game. And at the biggest tournaments in the world, it’s different.”

Lucky losers have been much more common in the men’s draws than in the women’s. Since the lottery was introduced at the beginning of 2006, there have been 75 men’s lucky losers, to only 27 women. In the eight years since the lottery, there have been as many as seven men’s lucky losers in Grand Slam draws twice, but there has never been more than two lucky loser spots for women.So far, there have been no spots for women’s lucky losers at Wimbledon this year.

The number of lucky losers has declined in recent years, with increases in prize money for first-round losers having incentivized playing hurt.

In 2011, first-round losers at Wimbledon were awarded 11,000 pounds ($18,730); by 2014, the amount had more than doubled. The other three Grand Slam events have had similar increases.

“It’s weird,” said John Isner, a friend and former roommate of Smyczek’s who was recently elected to the ATP Player Council. “Not many sports like ours where you can just get drawn out of the hat like that for a chance at the biggest tournament of the year.”